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Morpho-histological and Transcriptome Analysis Reveal the Unreduced Sperm Formation Mechanism in cdk1-Depletion

Yunbang Zhang1,2, Rongyun Li1, Hui Li1

  • 1College of Fisheries, Engineering Research Center of Green Development for Conventional Aquatic Biological Industry in the Yangtze River Economic Belt, Ministry of Education, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan, 430070, China.

Marine Biotechnology (New York, N.Y.)
|September 7, 2024
PubMed

Insights

Zebrafish cdk1 mutation causes abnormal cell cycles in germ cells, leading to polyploid and aneuploid embryos and unreduced sperm. This study reveals molecular mechanisms behind unreduced gamete formation and polyploid germplasm creation.

Area of Science:

  • Cell Biology
  • Genetics
  • Developmental Biology

Background:

  • Cyclin-dependent kinases (Cdks) regulate the cell cycle, crucial for germ cell development.
  • Abnormal cell cycles in germ cells can lead to polyploidy and unreduced gametes.
  • Zebrafish are a key model organism for studying cell cycle regulation and genetics.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the role of cdk1 in cell cycle regulation during gametogenesis in zebrafish.
  • To elucidate the molecular mechanisms underlying the formation of unreduced gametes caused by cdk1 mutation.
  • To provide insights for creating polyploid fish germplasm.

Main Methods:

  • Construction of a cdk1 heterozygous mutant zebrafish line (cdk1+/-).
  • Analysis of embryo ploidy (polyploidy and aneuploidy).
  • Sperm analysis (ploidy and morphology), testis bivalent analysis, spermatogonia ultrastructure, and transcriptome analysis.
  • STRING correlation analysis to identify protein-protein interactions.

Main Results:

  • cdk1 depletion in zebrafish resulted in polyploid and aneuploid embryos.
  • cdk1 mutation led to the production of unreduced (1N, 2N, and higher ploidy) sperm due to spermatogonia chromosome doubling.
  • Aberrant expression of cell cycle and DNA replication genes was observed in cdk1+/- zebrafish testes.
  • cdk1 affects mitosis and endoduplication by regulating proteins like Espl1, Pp1, Orc1, and Rnaseh2b.

Conclusions:

  • cdk1 plays a critical role in ensuring normal meiosis and preventing chromosome doubling in zebrafish germ cells.
  • The study elucidates the molecular basis of cdk1-induced unreduced gamete formation.
  • Findings offer a valuable reference for polyploid fish breeding strategies.
Keywords:
cdk1 mutationCell cycleEndoduplicationUnreduced sperms

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